Step 4 Devotional: Coming Out of Hiding
Many of us might even not realize it, but hiding is in our nature
We tend to hide and hold in the dirt about our lives that hurt us. Let’s take it out.
Most of us are hiding and don’t even realize it. We spend all of our time living a double life. Some of us harbor a crippling addiction to unhealthy things and pretend that everythings fine. Some of us hide behind self-righteousness, pretending we have no problems at all, fooling ourselves more than those around us. Hiding takes many forms. It could be through dishonesty. Dishonesty isn’t just boldface lying. We can be dishonest by simply not saying anything when you know that we should. This only perpetuates and compounds our problems.
We can also hide through isolating ourselves. This might be a literal isolation like not going out with friends or family or locking ourselves in our room for long periods of time. But there’s a much more metaphorical isolation that we often give into. We can be in the same room as others, doing the same things, and yet be mentally and emotionally isolated. We choose not to interact and be present and joyful in the moment because of how we feel about ourselves and others. This kind of hiding can be very difficult to recognize and fight against until we take a close look at ourselves.
Published
07/07/2022
Category
Faith
Step 4 of Recovery
We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Jesus often confronted people (the Pharisees, usually) about their hypocrisy. Ironically, hypocrite is a word we like to throw around but hardly point it at ourselves. The word hypocrite describes a person that pretends to have virtues or qualities that they really don’t have. It’s a seriously unhealthy way to live, and yet, most of us do. Thankfully, Jesus gives us practical rebuke to this notion in Matthew 23. “Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.”
Making a personal inventory of all your flaws, mistakes, and choices that have caused some serious damage in your life and to others is the perfect way to “wash the inside of the cup.” Let the real person out of hiding and deal with the dirt. By uncovering the hidden parts of ourselves, we’re able to change our whole selves, not just our outer selves. Our addictive and compulsive behaviors can only change once we dig deep into ourselves and pull out the dirt. This very real and common human condition has been true since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve started the trend.
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
Genesis 3:7-13
Let’s take a moment to unpack this passage real quick. It’s important to note that their “nakedness” here isn’t just talking about their outer physical condition, but also their inward condition. They saw their flaws, mistakes and consequences for their actions for the first time.
Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
Genesis 3:7-13
Then God, already knowing everything, called them out of hiding, called them to himself. What kept them from him? It wasn’t God. It was how they felt about themselves and each other because of what they’d done. How much more true is that for us? God never stays distant from us. He only feels that way because we hurt ourselves or get hurt by others and instead of turning to him, we hide.
“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
Genesis 3:7-13
Here’s the real kicker. When God asked each one what they did, they blamed each other or the devil rather than taking responsibility for their own actions. Isolation and dishonesty is riddled throughout this passage. They chose to disobey God, and after seeing the consequences, they then decided to pull back, hide, and play the blame game. All they had to do was go to God and say “I messed up. Would do I do about it? Can you help?” That’s exactly what we need to do. We need to go to God and say, “I’m broken. I don’t want to hide anymore. Can you fix me?” We have to pull out our hidden and ugly inner selves so he can change us.
Conclusion
Key takeaways
- Some people hide their flaws inside, others pretend that they don’t have any flaws at all.
- Hiding comes in the form of dishonesty and isolation.
- We can be dishonest by outright lying, but we can also lie by omission.
- We can physically isolate, but we can also emotionally isolate from others.
- Jesus calls hypocrites to scrub out the important “inner self”.
- We’re no different than Adam and Eve. They felt shame over their choices, and chose to hide and blame rather than own up to them.
Challenge
Apply to your life
Take an hour this week to read Genesis 3 and Matthew 23. Meditate and pray on what you read. Read, pray, and meditate on areas of your life where you isolate, lie (even by omission) and hide. Take an inventory of the dirt that you need to take and wash out of your inner self.
Conclusion
Key takeaways
- Some people hide their flaws inside, others pretend that they don’t have any flaws at all.
- Hiding comes in the form of dishonesty and isolation.
- We can be dishonest by outright lying, but we can also lie by omission.
- We can physically isolate, but we can also emotionally isolate from others.
- Jesus calls hypocrites to scrub out the important “inner self”.
- We’re no different than Adam and Eve. They felt shame over their choices, and chose to hide and blame rather than own up to them.
Challenge
Apply to your life
Take an hour this week to read Genesis 3 and Matthew 23. Meditate and pray on what you read. Read, pray, and meditate on areas of your life where you isolate, lie (even by omission) and hide. Take an inventory of the dirt that you need to take and wash out of your inner self.
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Ty Walker
Ty Walker is a contract copywriter and graphic designer with a huge heart for recovery. He has spent the last five years serving churches and recovery communities with his creative skills. Ty spends his free time writing poetry and fictional short stories as well as hiking, biking, and kayaking with his wife, Angie, and his two daughters, Winter and Ember.
Credit where credit is due
This article was inspired by The Life Recovery Bible presented by Tyndale Publishing. If you would like to check out additional recovery articles, videos, and podcast episodes, check us out at artisticrecovery.org.
